All Good Things
by SteelSeeker
Summary: ...must come to an end. Rating for character death. Shouldn't be too bloody though...?
1. Chapter 1

It had already been a long night for Lin Beifong, and it didn't show any signs of ending soon.

Stretching out her aching shoulders and letting out a little groan of pain, she turned to give the building her squad was currently surrounding an irritated look. One of the major Triads had been spotted in the area, and though she was fairly sure she'd finally pinned them down after hours of heated pursuit, the gang hadn't shown any signs of wanting to make a move anytime soon.

Something moved on the edge of her vision, and she turned to find her Lieutenant making his way hastily toward her, calling breathlessly and waving an arm over his head to attract her attention.

"Captain, we've got a message from Shu Jing. The Avatar's bison just passed over the island."

Letting out a long sigh of relief, she rubbed wearily at the bridge of her nose.

"Good. They'll be here in a couple of hours, then. The Triads just had to pick the week the Avatar was visiting the Fire Lord to have a city-wide turf war, didn't they?"

The Lieutenant chuckled, shaking his head and struggling to catch his breath as he reached her side.

"That's just our kind of luck, Captain. Next thing you know, we'll have a swarm of buzzard wasps descending upon the city."

Letting out a snort of laughter, she waved a hand, turning back toward the building.

"Don't tempt fate. Anything else?"

He nodded, a slight smile creeping onto his face.

"Yes. We've also got word that the Chief's finished up with the Red Monsoons. She's on her way now."

She felt her lips curve upward into a similar expression at the thought.

"Excellent! Is she-"

Something rippled through the ground beneath them, and she stiffened, breaking off abruptly. The Lieutenant stepped forward, brows knitting in concern.

"Captain?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she held up a hand, sliding back the sole of her boot and probing the ground gently with her foot.

"Shhh…"

Again, the earth beneath her feet shuddered, and something seemed almost to crack. Lifting her foot, she struck the ground, recoiling and letting out an involuntary gasp as it seemed almost to drop away into space beneath her.

"Move the perimeter back!"

Taken aback by her sudden outburst, the Lieutenant spluttered.

"What?"

Whirling to face him, she thrust a hand out toward the rest of the circle at large.

"Back! Now! Before it's-"

The ground heaved suddenly beneath her feet, and she stumbled backward, struggling to find a foothold. Her toes caught the edge of a large chunk of pavement, and she curled them frantically around it, all but throwing herself into an earthbending stance and pushing back against the shifting rock with all of her might.

Somewhere off to her left, her Lieutenant staggered to his feet, struggling to make his way across to her.

"Captain!"

Straining against the bucking ground, she barked out an order.

"Somebody's trying to undercut us! I'll try to slow them down, you get the others out!"

"But-"

Biting back a groan of effort, she scowled fiercely.

"Now!"

For half a moment, he looked as if he were going to argue, but ultimately held his tongue, nodding in assent.

"Yes ma'am."

As he made his way unsteadily off along the perimeter, she redoubled her efforts, pouring all of her remaining strength into her task. The surrounding rock stilled somewhat, and she let out a weary chuckle of satisfaction, but the circle at large continued to rumble and shake. Grimly setting her mouth, she shifted her stance slightly.

It wasn't enough. It would never be enough. And her strength was beginning to flag.

Something wrapped abruptly around her ankle, bringing her train of thought to a screeching halt, and she let out a yelp of surprise, instinctively raising a foot to shake it off.

Instinct proved to be her undoing.

The instant her foot left the ground, the thing grasping her gave a sharp tug, and she tumbled forward, directly into an opening fissure. For an instant, her fingers scrabbled for purchase before the earth heaved again, and her grip faltered, and then slipped away entirely.

The ground snapped shut overhead, plunging everything into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time the Chief arrived on the scene, the perimeter had completely fallen apart.

Pacing the length of the broken circle and allowing her feet to take in the extent of the destruction, both above and below the ground, she let out a weary sigh.

More damage control. Exactly what she didn't need tonight.

Closing her eyes and letting her "vision" sweep across the area again, she zeroed in on a familiar heartbeat, turning to make her way around the circle to its owner. He sat half-sprawled on the ground leg stretched out in front of him as she approached, and she wrinkled her nose in alarm as the scent of blood reached it.

"Lieutenant. What happened here?"

Turning toward her, the Lieutenant struggled to raise himself into a full sitting position. His voice trembled as he answered, laced with pain and exhaustion.

"A-ambush, Chief. We were ambushed from below."

Kneeling beside him and gently running her fingertips over his face, probing for injury, she frowned.

"Earthbenders?"

Flinching slightly as she pressed against a sore spot, he nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

Hastily withdrawing her hand, she deepened the frown, a note of disappointment creeping its way into her tone.

"And none of you sensed it? None of you were listening?"

The Lieutenant sucked in a shuddering breath.

"The Captain did. Sh-she tried to warn us."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Toph couldn't help but feel a little surge of pride at the news.

"That's my girl."

Pressing her free hand against the ground, she searched briefly for the familiar thump of her daughter's heartbeat, brows knitting when it did not become apparent.

"Where is she?"

The Lieutenant swallowed hard. His heart seemed almost to skip a beat.

"Sh-she…"

Toph raised an eyebrow.

"She…?"

His voice came out somewhat muffled and indistinct, and after a moment, she realized that he was turning his face away, afraid to look her in the eye.

"Chief, we…"

Somewhere deep inside, she already knew what he was going to tell her, but something drove her to ask anyway.

"Lieutenant Saikhan. Where is my daughter?"

Taking another trembling breath, he blurted out his answer.

"She was one of the ones we lost in the collapse, Chief."

Cold fingers wrapped themselves around her stomach and chest, dragging them down and away into nothingness.

"No…"

Saikhan bowed his head.

"I'm so sorry."

Biting her lip and struggling to keep her growing anxiety under control, she shook her head, almost frantically.

"No, she can't be gone! She just can't-"

Nearly throwing herself to her feet, she whirled, stalking furiously toward the ring of broken ground ahead. Saikhan scrambled after her, hissing with pain as his injured foot hit the ground.

"Chief, you can't, you'll crush-"

Ignoring him completely, she turned toward the wreckage, raising her hands and digging her heels into the ground. The rubble groaned and shifted, creaking dangerously, and she gritted her teeth, shifting her stance and pulling upward with one arm. Slowly, a neat hole began to form in the center of the rubble. The surrounding stones shifted slightly, but the remaining structure of the cavern held together.

Whirling back around, she seized him by the shoulder plates, dragging him nearly all the way to his feet and snarling into his face.

"Can't _what_? You call yourself an earthbender? You're not worthy of the title if you can't even sense a measly _ambush_!"

For a moment longer, she seethed, panting and glaring ferociously, before finally regaining her composure and setting him lightly back down on his feet, struggling to get her breathing back under control.

"I'm… I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

Turning toward the hole, she slammed a heel into the ground, bringing a column of rock rumbling up out of the depths to fill the opening.

"Get everyone who's still able-bodied organized. Tell them to stand by for injured. I'll find the ones we lost down there and bring them out. Understand?"

Shifting his weight off of his bad foot, he saluted.

"Yes, ma'am. And Chief… bring her back safe. Please."

Stepping onto the column and shifting into a loose bending stance, Toph nodded grimly.

"I will."


	3. Chapter 3

She felt the first heartbeat the instant her feet hit the cavern floor.

Picking her way across to the pile of rubble, she began to dig, shifting rock and soil aside until her fingers brushed against flesh.

"Officer?"

When he didn't respond, she frowned, slapping lightly at his face.

"Come on, kid, talk to me."

He coughed faintly, letting out a little groan of pain.

"Chief...?"

Letting out a sigh of relief and patting him awkwardly on the cheek, she put on what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Just relax, OK? I'm going to get you out of there."

Cautiously probing the rocks around the sides of the hole, she hooked her fingers around its edge, pulling gently outward. The opening expanded obediently, and she reached in, carefully sliding the young man out of the wreckage and onto the cavern floor.

Several of the others had gathered around the opening when she finished raising the column back up to the top of the hole. Easing the young officer out onto the edge of the opening, she wiped her brow, putting on a faint smile.

"First of many. I can feel an encouraging number of heartbeats."

Gently slinging the boy's arm over his shoulder and easing him up and out of the pit, Saikhan nodded.

"Yes, Chief. Any sign of-"

Setting her mouth grimly, Toph shook her head, turning to slip back into the hole.

"Not yet. Don't worry. I haven't even gotten started, yet."

For what felt like hours, she continued to search, carefully shifting rock and soil and hauling her officers out of the wreckage.

As she passed the final officer into the hands of his fellows, she shook her head, taking a deep breath and struggling to keep her voice from shaking.

"That's the last one I can feel."

Saikhan limped forward, hesitantly laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Chief-"

Putting on a stubborn scowl and shrugging his hand away, Toph swung her legs back over the edge of the opening.

"Take charge here. I won't be back until... until I find her."

Dropping back to the floor, she brought her foot down hard, stretching her senses to their limits.

Still, nothing.

Straightening up, Toph let out a little sound somewhere between moan and whimper.

"Come on, kiddo, don't do this to me…"

She paced the length of the tunnel again, straining for any trace of movement, any slight sound, anything at all that might lead her to her daughter's whereabouts.

It took her until the third time around the perimeter to find it, and even then, she nearly missed it; a small, dumpy shape, lying abandoned in a small alcove along the far wall.

An officer's cap.

Darting into the little passageway and scooping it up, she jammed it against her face, inhaling deeply and letting out a little half-sob as the familiar scent hit her nose.

_Lin..._

Crushing the cap to her chest, she turned her attention toward the rock ahead. A quick scan revealed a narrowing passageway, descending further into the earth, before opening up again into a large cavern.

It was a trap.

It was so obviously and painfully a trap, it almost offended her pride to fall into it.

But what choice did she have?

Stuffing the cap through her belt, she started forward, scrambling over boulders and picking her way down into the cavern, pausing in the center to take stock of her surroundings again and slide into a fighting stance, straining for any whisper of sound or trace of movement.

The first attack came from above.

The blow caught her directly on the shoulder, and she choked back a gasp of pain, jerking aside and flinging a cable out from her belt to seize her attacker just as he landed lightly on the floor beside her. As he sailed away across the cavern, another series of blows rained down across her back, and she stumbled forward, dropping to one knee and ramming the heels of her hands against the ground. The floor heaved upward, knocking the attackers off balance as they landed, and she scrambled back to her feet, thrusting out her hands and flinging a volley of stones back at them, face twisting into a satisfied smirk as all three of her targets let out yelps of pain.

Struggling to bring her breathing under control, Toph tilted her head upward, instinctively closing her eyes and straining her hearing to its limits. This time, she picked up the faint flap of cloth from directly above, dodging out of the way and sending a cable sailing upward to yank the Triad out of midair. Her attacker let out a squeak of surprise as Toph jerked the cable in, dashing her hard against the floor.

She lost track of time as the battle continued, dodging attacks from above and seeking out her attackers as they followed in the wake of the rocks. The world became a blur of attacking, gasping in pain as a strike connected, countering, blocking, grinning in satisfaction as her own blows connected, and the rumble and crack of moving earth. Eventually, the hail of rocks from above slowed to a trickle, and then ceased altogether, although it took her a few moments of striking empty air to realize that the attacks had stopped.

Finally straightening up, she turned her ear toward the ceiling, trying to calm her frenzied panting.

Silence. Somewhere off to her left, a Triad groaned faintly, flopping over onto his back and falling still again.

Allowing herself to relax and slip out of her combat stance, Toph let out a weary sigh.

If this had been the trap, it hadn't been a very good one.

Shaking her head, she took a step forward, only for her foot to crash through the rock floor and into an open space below. Flailing her arms for balance, she pulled back, setting a foot against the ground behind her, only for that to rupture as well.

_It _wasn't _the trap… it was a distraction!_

She struggled to regain her balance, to find solid ground to haul herself onto, but to no avail. Even as she pulled herself back into her starting position, gasping for breath again, the sensation of shifting earth reached her feet, and the ground beneath them began to crack.

Her last thought as the floor gave way entirely and silence swallowed her up was that maybe her pride wasn't _too _offended by after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Searing pain dragged her back into harsh reality. Groaning and letting her eyes flicker instinctively open as sound returned, she shifted, straining to get her feet back on the ground.

From somewhere ahead, an unfamiliar voice rang out, dripping with condescending pity.

"Having some trouble there, Chief?"

Ignoring the taunt, she struggled again to rise, letting out a raspy moan of pain as her left knee hit the floor.

Clicking his tongue disapprovingly, the speaker stepped forward.

"Might wanna keep off that leg. Looks like you broke something. The Boss sends his regards, by the way."

Crouching cautiously on her right knee, she laid her palms against the ground, struggling to reorient herself and take stock of her surroundings. She could feel two other heartbeats within the small chamber; one coming from the speaker, and a second one from a body sprawled on the floor at his feet. The first, she didn't recognize, but as she latched onto the rhythm of the second, her breath caught in her throat, and a sharp spike of panic ripped through her.

She knew that heartbeat, almost better than her own.

It was the heartbeat she'd been searching for.

The shock must have shown on her face, because the man let out a little cackle, nudging the still body with his foot.

"Oh, that's right. We decided to pay your little darling a visit. I'll give you this, Chief; you raised a tough kid. Not quite tough enough, though."

Finally managing to haul herself to her feet, Toph twisted her face into a menacing snarl.

"You'd better hope she's all right."

Stepping forward, he shrugged.

"Eh, we'll see. You, on the other hand…"

Without warning, he shifted into a fighting stance, prying several smallish stones out of the floor and launching them rapidly toward her.

Instinctively, she stepped back, dropping into a fighting stance, but her injured leg refused to support her weight, buckling at the knee and dumping her onto her back. Cursing under her breath, she rolled quickly onto her stomach, ramming her fist against the ground just as her attacker launched another volley of stones. A trio of rock columns leaped from the ground, and he dodged hastily, skittering to the side and slamming his heel into the floor, sending a shockwave of earth rippling toward her.

Spreading her arms as far as she could, she dug in her fingers and the toes of her good leg, buckling down and holding on with all of her might. The wave passed around her, but the section of ground she held on to remained steady. Pushing herself up onto her knees and biting back a cry of pain, she flung out an arm, sending a cable flying toward him out of one of the spools strapped to her waist.

To her shock, he didn't dodge, ramming his fists into the floor instead and covering them with a coating of rock and dust, before digging in his heels and snatching the flying cable with his armored hands. Toph let out a gasp, pulling her hand back in an attempt to reel it in, but he held fast, dragging her toward him bit by bit until finally, he was able to seize the front of her breastplate, hauling her to her feet.

"And there we have it. Still, Chief, I gotta say, I'm impressed. It's almost a shame that it's over, now, but…"

Something slipped out of his sleeve and into his hand.

"You know what they say about all good things."

He raised the object high over his head.

"Goodnight, Chief."

The arm plunged down. A brilliant starburst of pain exploded through her chest and stomach, and the world seemed almost to drop away into nothingness around her.

* * *

The silvery hiss of splitting metal jerked Lin back to full awareness.

Dragging herself up into a sitting position and shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear it, she looked up, seeking out the source of the noise.

Across the cavern, the leader of the group that had attacked her stood, back to her, clutching the front of her mother's armor. His other hand gripped the hilt of a knife, plunged into the gap between the plates covering the chest and solar plexus, all the way up to the guard.

Everything went still.

Her vision seemed to swim and blood roared through her ears, almost unbearably loud. She wanted to cry out, but the sound stuck in her chest, burning and heavy, like a clump of molten metal.

Sensing her eyes on his back, he turned, withdrawing the knife and releasing his hold on Toph. As she crumpled to the ground, he chuckled darkly.

"Oh, finally back with us, Junior? You're just a little bit too late. Mommy's already checked out."

His lip curled into a sneer as he held up the bloodstained weapon, idly turning it over and over in his fingers.

"Couldn't protect her, could you? How sad. But don't worry. You'll be able to apologize to her in person momentarily."

Something in the back of her head seemed almost to snap.

A savage scream bubbled up into her throat, and she flung herself up and forward, ramming into him with all of the force she could muster and sending the two of them tumbling over and over on the dusty cave floor.

It was a vicious beating.

All sense of form and finesse vanished from her mind. Her rage demanded blood and pain, and the easiest way to get it was simply to strike, to kick, to grapple, to pull and scratch and bite.

The battle passed in a blur. At one point, she became vaguely aware of the knife gouging a line of white-hot fire into her cheek, but in her frenzy, she paid it no mind, redoubling her efforts.

She wasn't sure how much time had gone by when he finally managed to free one of his feet long enough to bend, but it was all he needed to gain the upper hand again.

The rock caught her directly in the ribs with a sharp crack, throwing her back against the cavern wall. Spots of light burst in front of her eyes, and she groaned, struggling to get up, but to no avail.

Her opponent had more luck. Climbing to his feet and gasping for breath, he stooped to retrieve the knife, wiping his bleeding mouth on the back of his sleeve and curling his split lip into a threatening sneer as he stalked across the cavern toward her.

"Phew! Not bad, Junior. Not bad at all! Still not good enough, though."

Wrapping a hand around her neck, he hauled her to her feet, pinning her against the wall and tightening his grip until her head began to swim, and the edges of her vision crawled with seething black.

"Say hello to your mother for me."

He raised the knife.


	5. Chapter 5

Everything slowed down.

The earth beneath her had gone strangely still. Sounds drifted in over an infinitely vast distance; his laughter, her daughter's wail of grief and rage, the scuff of boots on the floor, the clatter and ring of armor against stone...

Struggling to regain her focus, she wriggled her palm into position, flat against the ground. Lin's thundering heartbeat was easy to pick up on as she struggled to draw breath, clawing uselessly at the hand of her attacker, wrapped tightly around her throat. His heartbeat was harder to focus on, but the instant he raised his arm high above her daughter's head, it snapped sharply into focus.

A surge of anger ripped through her, filling her with new strength, and with what felt like a monumental effort, she managed to lift her head off of the floor, taking a deep breath and hoisting herself up onto her elbows.

"Hey."

Dragging herself laboriously to her feet and struggling to keep her knees steady, she scowled in annoyance.

"What's with all the noise? Can't a woman rest in peace around here?"

For a moment, his heart rate shot up, and his breathing shuddered to a halt. Then, regaining his composure, he released his hold on Lin's throat, allowing her to slump to the floor in a gasping, coughing heap and turning to stalk forward.

"Big mistake, Chief. You shoulda just gone to sleep."

Curling her lip into a sneer and shifting into a loose combat stance, Toph let out a nonchalant little laugh.

"Why don't you come over here and make me?"

As her opponent stalked forward, she held her stance, keeping her eyes steadily forward and struggling to keep her face curled into its characteristic smirk.

_Come on… come on… just a few steps more…_

If he had any idea what she was doing, he gave no indication, merely stepping closer and raising the knife, a the beginnings of a savage smile crossing his face.

_Perfect._

Throwing out her hands, she pulled down and inward. Overhead, a portion of the ceiling cracked, and then crumbled, tumbling downward in a massive shower of rock and soil. He barely had time to gasp before the rain of debris was upon him, crashing down around his ears and rapidly burying him beneath it.

Gradually, the hail of rock trickled to a halt. As the last few pebbles bounced their way down the side of the pile, all of the strength seemed to leave her body in an instant. Her knees buckled, and as the ground reached up to catch her, she let out a haughty little chuckle.

_Goodnight yourself._

* * *

The last stones settled into place, gently depositing her mother on the cavern floor, and Lin let her hands drop back to her sides, trying again to clamber to her feet and flopping back down with a hiss of pain.

Gnawing anxiously at her lip and curling her face into a grimace of determination, she struggled upright again, dragging herself across the cavern to gather the still body into her arms. Smoothing a few strands of hair off of her mother's sweat-slicked forehead, she gave the woman a gentle shake.

"Chief. Chief! Mother!"

After a moment more of shaking, Toph's eyes fluttered open, and she managed a wobbly smile.

"H-hey, little badgermole."

Feeling tears spring into the corners of her own eyes, Lin shook her head frantically, tightening her arms.

"Oh Spirits, h-hold on, Mother, just-"

"Lin-"

"K-Katara will be here soon, just-"

"Lin-"

"Just- j-just stay with me, I c-can fix this-"

"Lin!"

Something in her mother's tone brought the torrent of panicked words to a shuddering halt. Reaching up to lay a hand on her daughter's cheek, Toph smiled again.

"It's over, kiddo. I gotta go."

Her eyes welled up and spilled over, and she covered her mother's hand with her own, pressing it fiercely against her face. Her voice came out as a strangled croak.

"No…"

Swallowing hard and licking her lips, Toph continued.

"Listen. I… I've done… a lot of things in my life. Got… a lot of things to be proud of… b-but the thing I'm most p-proud of … out of all of them… is having had you as a daughter."

She paused to catch her breath, letting out a wheezing chuckle.

"I-inventing metalbending… is… a close second… though…"

Gently lifting her hand away, she reached up, hooking her arm around Lin's neck and pulling her daughter's forehead down to rest against hers.

"T-take care of yourself… little badgermole. I'll… be with you. A-and… I'll always love you… more than I can possibly say."

Sucking in a shuddering breath, Lin fought back a whimper.

"I love you too, Mom."

Toph let out another breathless little laugh.

"I know, kiddo. I..."

Her words trailed off into a gurgling sigh, and the arm wrapped around her daughter's neck went slack.

Laying it gently back down, Lin curled herself tightly around her mother's body and began to sob.


	6. Epilogue

The office was mercifully dark when she entered. Between the bandages, the glow of the healers working, the camera flashes, and the endless sea of white mourning clothes, Lin had had more than enough of light, lately.

As she eased the door shut behind her, she bit her lip. She'd spent innumerable hours of her life in this room, both as a child and as an officer, but today, she felt like an intruder.

Doing her best to shake off the feeling, she paced the perimeter of the room, running her fingers lightly across the wall, over the bookcases, tapping them lightly across the desk, before coming to a halt beside the coatrack, standing at attention beside the door. One of her mother's longcoats hung on the closest arm.

Hesitantly reaching out, she laid a gentle hand on the coat, as if touching it too hard might make it disappear. After a moment, she slipped it off of the rack and buried her face in the soft fabric, crushing it against her chest, breathing in the lingering ghost of her mother's scent. Tears prickled their way into the corners of her eyes, demanding release, and flowing unabashedly in streams down her face.

"Ca- err, Chief Beifong?"

Bolting in alarm and whipping her head up, she found herself staring into the equally surprised face of Saikhan, who shrank back a bit in the doorway, mumbling sheepishly at his feet.

"Sorry."

Hastily wiping her streaming eyes on the back of her hand, she struggled to regain her composure.

"No harm done, Lieu- ah, Captain."

Folding his hands behind his back, he continued.

"The press is here. We're ready to go."

Glancing down at the coat in her hands, she fingered a worn patch at the elbow of the left sleeve absentmindedly.

"Right. I'll... I'll be out in just a minute."

Nodding, he turned to go, but paused briefly in the doorway.

"Lin..."

It was more the tone of his voice than the informal address that made her look up. He studied the floor carefully for a moment before speaking again.

"You... you know we're here if you need us, right? All of us?"

For the first time in nearly a week, she felt something that could have been a smile creep onto her face.

"I know. Thanks."

Nodding and returning the smile, he slipped through the door.

"I'll see you outside, Chief."

She watched him go almost absently before turning back to the coat and crushing it against her face again, drawing strength from its familiar scent. The warm fabric settled around her shoulders in a comforting embrace.

After what seemed like hours, she broke away with a little sigh, carefully hanging the coat back up, and giving it a last fond little pat on the padded shoulder.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she opened the door, and stepped back out into the light.


End file.
